Breckenridge Brewery
Denver, CO
Available: CO, TX, AZ, OH, IN
This double pilsner, one of the few lager beers brewed by Breckennridge, is part of a new small-batch “Occassionals” program from the brewery.
ABV: 7.0
ABW: 5.6
Color: gold
Bitterness: 45
Original gravity: 1068
At 7.7 percent ABV, this is not your mama’s pilsner. Regal is, however, an interesting spin on the classic style, with a lot more of everything you like in a pilsner to live up to its imperial moniker. Nicely effervescent, Regal still only offers a slight white head atop its bubbly body. Pronounced hops greet the nose with earthy and woody aromas. Each sip is a duet with malt playing the bass line and hops creating the melody. But the hops continue to linger long after the malty sweetness has disappeared, leaving a lovely, slightly bitter souvenir to enjoy before taking your the sip.
Double pilsner it says on the label and the strength and depth you’d expect from that descriptor are certainly not lacking. The predominant character is sherbet lemon candy, from the spritzy nose right through to the swallow. In the mouth, there’s enough malty body to support the exaggerated hoppiness, but we’re talking harmony here more than balance, as the hops hold the whip hand. Their tangy, dry bitterness fills the lasting finish where a mild burn from both the alcohol and the hops leaves you knowing you’ve had a beer. There’s plenty to get hold of with this one.
Lisa Morrison, aka The Beer Goddess, writes about beer whenever she can and also gets to talk about it on a weekly radio show in her hometown of Portland, OR.
Author of the Good Bottled Beer Guide and The Book of Beer Knowledge, Jeff Evans is an eight-time editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and one of Britain's best-known beer writers.
